The Perfect 16 Hours in Bristol
Recipe for 16 hours in Bristol:
- Corn street restaurants
- Harbourside
- St. Nicholas Market
- Cabot Circus
- (+ falling leaves, old friend giggles, mulled cider, & a shared plate of the universe’s tastiest spring rolls)
This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend a hot second in Bristol (well, a hot 16 hours).
My former housemate/current lifelong buddy Amanda recently moved to this quirky city, but I haven’t had a chance to visit her for the last couple months. So when we booked our tickets up to a friend’s wedding this past weekend, I figured I’d tack on a visit to Bristol as it was on the way.
^Amanda the newfound Bristonian
It was a great 16 hours…Amanda is one of those friends that you can completely chill out around. We went to Valencia together recently and discovered we have identical travel styles – a combo of organized and chilled and most importantly, food-focused. Which pretty much describes my time in Bristol!
So here’s a lil overview of the best bits of Bristol that I hit in 16 hours…
CORN STREET // Pho Bristol
First thing’s first: food. We headed to Corn Street which is a street that’s lined with some of Bristol’s best restaurants. We stopped at Pho Bristol, which is a Vietnamese restaurant that’s 100% gluten free (apart from the beer). We shared the most amazing spring rolls of all time.
HARBOURSIDE
Harbourside is a great area in central Bristol. It’s basically a big square around the harbor where lots of events, bars, and restaurants are. We headed over after dinner for the first mulled cider of the season at the Bristol version of The Stable (my favorite restaurant in Plymouth!).
The morning saw me in my new moose pajamas that my mom mailed me for my birthday…(Thanks Mom!). Amanda served up a cup of english-style tea and a surprise gluten free crumpet, complete with blueberry and apricot jams. I felt properly cozy and spoiled, even before we ventured out of her apartment for our last few hours in Bristol!
We took a winding walk through the city en route to St. Nicholas Market. It was nice to see the city in daylight, the river running through it, and the red and orange leaves peeping through the trees!
^^the ruins of temple church
ST NICHOLAS MARKET
I love markets, and being a big-ish city, but not too big, Bristol is ideal for markets! With its hippie vibes and artistic scene, I was really excited to see the market for myself. We arrived just as the stalls were opening, before any rush of people came.
Chai latte and a salad for the train in tow (purchased from stalls at St. Nicholas Market!) we headed out for the temple meads train station, and I waved goodbye to Bristol!
It was quite a whirlwind 16 hours, but I feel like I really have a feel for the city now, thanks to Amanda who engineered the visit to the most “Bristonian” places! 16 hours wasn’t enough though, so I’m looking forward to a repeat visit sometime soon!
What should I hit up next time I’m in Bristol?
Sarah xx
Pin it for later…
I have yet to visit Bristol despite of living in London for a while now, but judging by your photos I would love to go there!
The Fashion Matters- Travel & Fashion blog | Instagram: TheFashionMatters
You totally should! I’d been through the train station/airport before but never actually experienced the city, and now I’m pretty sure I’m in city-love!
Having time with good friends is the best, especially when they can show you around a city. I love mulled wine and I can’t wait to get to chilly New York in November and make some. Those markets look amazing! I’m so glad you had this special time with your friend and I hope you get back soon.
Exactly! I was sad that she’s moved further away from me but I’ve now discovered a new city that I LOVE thanks to her!
That sounds like an awesome trip! I really like Bristol. Sounds like you found some great places to eat – the pho looks amazing and how lucky to find a boxed salad for your train trip home!
Yeah I would definitely recommend a visit to that place for dinner in Bristol – I was so tired when I arrived on Friday night, so when my friend said we were going to a 100% GF restaurant you can imagine my sigh of relief haha.
Now THIS is how to spend a perfect 16 hours!
It certainly was!
A friend of mine just moved to Bristol as well, and I’m considering visiting at some point. I need more pictures though to be able to judge whether it’s really a beautiful place, so I’m hoping you will go back soon! :p
Haha well I’ll be full of photos when I visit next!
I love Bristol, but then again I am a bit biased as I live here. Glad you had fun!
You are so lucky! I can’t wait to visit again. It’s one of those cities that I can really see myself in!
Sounds awesome! What would be your optimal length of stay in Bristol?
Forever! Haha, definitely going back for a weekend visit, it’s a smallish city so I think you could tour most of it in 2-3 days, but it has the vibe of a place you just want to chill out in or move to.